Cisco IOS Licenses

While reading comp.dcom.sys.cisco, I found a thread discussing licenses for Cisco IOS. This abbreviation of Cisco's software transfer and licensing policy states "owners of Cisco products are only allowed to transfer, re-sell or re-lease used Cisco hardware and not the embedded software that runs on the hardware." One option for licensed use of Cisco gear at reduced prices is buying refurbished equipment, sold by authorized resellers, and getting a SMARTnet support contract to access parts of Cisco's software center. There seems to be no shortage of Asian sites offering IOS, although I suspect Trojaned versions might appear in those listings. This thread includes a lengthy post by Ted Mittelstaedt explaining how Cisco discourages eBay purchases of Cisco gear.

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